Focus On: IFOA Ontario, with Steve Paikin

IFOA Ontario is a literary festival like no other, bringing writers from Canada and around the world to cities and towns throughout the province for readings and discussions at local bookstores, libraries and community centres.

If you live in Windsor, Burlington, Owen Sound, Thunder Bay or any of the ten other IFOA Ontario locations, your favourite authors will be coming right to your doorstep between October 19th to November 3rd. All month long, Open Book: Ontario will share feature interviews with writers who are busy packing their suitcases to get on the road.

Today, Open Book catches up with writer and broadcast journalist Steve Paikin, who will be reading from Paikin and the Premiers (Dundurn Press) in Burlington on Monday, October 21.

Open Book:

Tell us about what you?ll be reading at this year?s IFOA Ontario festival.

Steve Paikin:

I will be reading an excerpt from my fifth book, Paikin and the Premiers. A couple of years ago, a former MP mentioned to me that I?d interviewed every Ontario premier since William Davis and had already written a book about his predecessor, John Robarts. "Did I know that meant I sort of had a direct connection to the past half century of Ontario premiers?" Well, when you put it that way, I guess I sort of do, I said. The MP said, there?s a book in there somewhere. Apparently he was right.

OB:

What is your preferred method of travel for a reading tour and why?

SP:

I don?t really have a preferred method. I am happy to drive, take the train, fly, whatever gets me there to spread the word.

OB:

What is one luxury you allow yourself when you go "on tour" with a book?

SP:

I?ve done four book tours already and can?t think of any luxury I allowed myself, frankly. On one of my previous book tours, I was at a television station at 6 a.m. in Calgary. The weather man came up to me and said, ?We?ve got two minutes for this interview. What do you want me to ask you?? That?s a book tour. The word ?luxury? never shows up.

OB:

What book (aside from your own) will you have with you in your bag while you travel to the location of your IFOA Ontario reading?

SP:

I always carry a book with me whether I?m en route to the IFOA or anywhere else. That?s because there?s always the next author to interview for The Agenda on TVO, and therefore I?m constantly reading. So whoever my next interview is for the program?that?s the book I?ll be carrying with me.

Steve Paikin is anchor and senior editor of TVO?s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, the gold standard for depth of analysis and thoughtful debate on Canadian television. In nearly 30 years in the business, Steve has built a sterling reputation as an eminently fair journalist and has moderated the past three federal and two Ontario election debates. In the Fall of 2012 Steve marked his 20th year hosting TVO?s current affairs programming. Earlier in his career, Steve worked at CBC News as an anchor and correspondent, a reporter for the Hamilton Spectator and CHFI radio, as well as radio and television stations in Boston. Steve has also authored five books including his latest, Paikin and the Premiers (Dundurn Press), has produced several feature-length documentaries, and reported from two different war zones. Through his tweets and his blogs, Steve has also built a significant online community. You can find Steve?s blogs at tvo.org/theagenda, and follow him on Twitter @spaikin.